In other words, by Calgary Flames standards, there had been a low level of highlight-reel fuss Monday.

Rather it was with a ripple-free efficiency, with a business-like demeanour, that the San Jose Sharks dispatched the guests 3-2 in National Hockey League action at the SAP Center.

Joe Pavelski, hotter than vindaloo these days, drained a couple of goals.

The Sharks, improving to 17-2-3 on home ice, also got a first-period tally from Tommy Wingels.

Jiri Hudler and bad-boy Kevin Westgarth counted for the Flames, who — like they had in the final 64:58 of Saturday’s clash in Vancouver — looked solid. By anyone’s standards.

Nevertheless, Calgary dips to 2-10-1 in its past 13.

For the record, Flames coach Bob Hartley had opened with a line of Lance Bouma, Matt Stajan and David Jones.

(Earlier in the day, San Jose coach Todd McLellan had been asked: “What happens if they start their fourth line?” His frosty reply? “What happens if Doug Wilson signs Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr today — where do I play them? I can’t worry about hypothetical situations. They get to start their lineup. We get to start ours.”)

But there had been little nonsense on this night.

Jumping out of the gates, the Sharks, indeed, looked like a team that had rolled 3-0-0 through a recent road trip.

They were on the pucks. They were on the Flames.

But what do you know?

With the puck deep in San Jose territory — with zero on the travellers’ shot clock — Hudler went into left corner, emerged with the puck, stepped around Brad Stuart, froze netminder Antti Niemi, and knifed a low backhander to the far post to put the Flames up 1-0 at 4:08.

However, these are the Sharks.

A response had been anticipated. It didn’t take long.

Brent Burns breezed past blue-liner T.J. Brodie, skirted around the Flames cage and got the puck back to Justin Braun at the right point. Braun’s high shot fluttered netward, striking Pavelski and wobbling in at 12:22.

The 1-1 deadlock turned out to be very temporary.

Because only 21 seconds later the hosts struck again.

This time, Joe Colborne failed to exit the zone and the Sharks — going Patrick Marleau to Brad Stuart to Wingels — made it 2-1.

No matter.

Because the Flames’ grinders — the most talked-about fourth line in the NHL — would have their say.

Kris Russell, playing his first game since wrenching his knee Dec. 21 in Pittsburgh, started the play, finding Brian McGrattan with a long pass. Gaining the blue line, the hulking winger zipped a wrister at Niemi, who failed to handle it cleanly. Jumping on the rebound was Westgarth, who sliced it into the top corner at 13:34 of the first period.

For Westgarth, in his 144th appearance, it marked his fourth goal. It stood as the 15th assist of McGrattan’s career.

But when Stajan went off for interference at 14:28 of the second period, the Sharks pounced.

Joe Thornton — enjoying both time and space after a mix-up at the blue line — corralled the puck. He flung a pass — a bit of a grenade by his standards — towards Pavelski, who, hothandedly, whacked the puck out of mid-air and into the Flames’ net.

The goal gave Pavelski six in the past three outings.

The helper gave Thornton 1,171 career points, boosting him past Bobby Hull into 48th spot on the NHL’s all-time charts.

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